Ballroom Dancer

Slavik Kryklyvyy is a legend. At a very young age he became the world champion in Latin dance. After a few quiet years he is ready to get back to the top with his new partner Anna. The couple’s fierce training lets the viewer see what competitive dance is really about: the emotional charge between the two dancers.

The directors skilfully utilise clichés seen on dance movies. Dancesport is a battlefield of great talent, passion and love. The great Slavik is an embodiment of dark, radiant power – a vampire that quickly drains the vigour of others. A sense of inadequacy suffocates Anna’s love and ability to express her feelings with dancing. Passion transforms into a mechanical repetition of moves.

The simple story becomes a great experience with its sincerity. It sympathetically depicts the willpower of a fiery artist and a delicate nightingale’s desire to be as good as the champion.

Erkko Lyytinen | Translation by Janne Hirvisaari